“So you’re the one who’s been giving me heart attacks. You’re such a little thing.”
“It doesn’t matter that the drive is gone,” I said. “I know what was on it. I know you’re helping the pickpockets.”
He leaned back. Next thing I knew, something was coming right at me. I lifted my arms to cover my face. The box of drives hit my arms and drives flew everywhere. Now Alden had a gun pointed at me.
“Go ahead my dear, drop your weapon or you die.”
I had no doubt he’d use it. I let my gun drop to the floorboards.
He told the driver to get going. “We need somewhere less visible and accessible, with a nice spot to dispose of a body.”
A trickle of fear passed through me, but I shrugged it off knowing Kamal was watching what was happening. He’d follow us. Then I remembered pocketing the keys to the car he waited in. He would see me leave, but would not be able to help. He didn’t know how to contact Division. Fine. If I was going to die, I had to at least find out if I had been right. Maybe I’d get a chance to send a recording to Division and they would get the Prime Minister anyway. I had to stay on target. I needed to get him to talk.
“I don’t get it,” I said. “As Prime Minister you earn great money.”
“There’s never enough money and never enough power.”
He liked the power of it? This was about to get easier. People like him liked to boast, so I’d get him to boast. “Why did you kidnap my shadow and me?”
“Oh, that’s an easy one. I figured you had the drive or that you’d given it to someone. I wanted it back.” He chuckled. “I should have known you didn’t have it or you would have used it against me already, blackmail, you know. A miscalculation on my part.
“Yes. The second Marco had the drive, he called me. You see, I’m much too powerful for a little girl like you to bring down.” He wanted me to know he had always been a step ahead and had the upper hand. I’d let him keep talking, burying himself. “You did give it a noble, valiant effort. It simply wasn’t enough.”
I wanted to wipe the smug look off him. The driver pulled onto the main road.
“Too bad I can’t keep you around. You wouldn’t want to change sides, would you?” He’d started getting comfortable with me and was waving his gun around as he talked instead of holding it steady. I let my shoulders slump a little too, to encourage his relaxation, but also to give me access to my knife. Now I needed the right moment.
“You know, I saw the feed of you escaping my men. You were pretty good. Last chance to join me. I’m sure I’d pay you better than whatever agency you are working for.” He smiled and rested the gun on his lap. I gripped the knife tight in my hand and stabbed him in the leg and took his gun from him in two seconds flat. Prime Minister Alden screamed out in pain and clutched at his leg as a large spot of blood blossomed on his pants. I pointed the gun at the driver’s head, and told him to pull over. I retained the knife in my left hand.
“So, Prime Minister,” I said in the most mocking tone I could manage in the French language, “Would you like to bind that wound?”
He nodded.
“Well, tell me what a bad little boy you’ve been. I want every last detail. But do it quickly.” I stabbed the air with the bloody knife, directing it toward Alden.
He didn’t speak, so I added, “A cut like that, bleeding like that, you could be dead in a few minutes. Do you believe in the afterlife? Judgment and all that jazz?”
He didn’t speak. Sweat dripped along his hairline. I pressed the knife to his cheek and he yelled out, “Okay! Okay! Yes, I hired those men to kill you. I couldn’t have you messing with the pickpockets.”
“What were their names?”
“Adolphe and Cardwell, among others.”
“How did you pay them?”
“I paid them as security consultants.”
“And why couldn’t you have me messing with your pickpockets?”
I kept an eye on the driver as he looked through the rearview mirror, flashing him a menacing look here and there to let him know he wasn’t safe either. Prime Minister Alden’s face was pale, and copious amounts of sweat dotted his face and neck. His hands pressed hard on his injured leg, blood pouring through his fingers.
“Can’t you see this man needs a hospital?” the driver yelped.
“Minister?” I said, pushing the knife even harder into his cheek, drawing blood.
His whole body shuddered “Yes! I was taking bribes. They would bring them every second Wednesday with a bouquet of flowers delivered to my office.”
“So, I guess what I’m hearing is that you profit on the front and back end of the pickpockets’ activities, Prime Minister. Is this true?” My heart pounded.
He nodded.
“I didn’t hear you.” I glanced quickly at the phone. The red light still blinked.
“Yes.” He exhaled hard.
He had spilled the beans. All of them. I slipped my knife back in its holder near my ankle and pulled out my phone. “Thank you for that.” I waved the phone in front of him, so he could see I had been recording, and then I jumped out of the car.
Luckily, we’d only driven a few blocks. I stole a black bullet bike just down the road.
Chapter 22
I blind texted Kamal as I drove, telling him to be ready
